GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

Give this one a shot:
http://www.newegg.com/nvidia-geforce-gtx-285-graphics-card/p/N1E2

Larry Ortiz5 said:But the guy makes a valid point up to $300 before he goes ahead and suggests a GPU that costs twice as much.

Forgive me if I sound blunt, but I fail to see any practical utility in those low-end cards... if you truly need performance, wouldn't it be more logical to just take out a small loan and pick up at least a basic model from $500....

What can one realistically expect to play with those used pieces of junk from $217? I am referring specifically to the modern era of gaming where hardware requirements have become increasingly demanding...

Furthermore, let me pose a question: does it actually make sense to attempt installing two NVIDIA Radeon ™ HD 7870 cards within a mid-tower chassis? I harbor some concerns regarding whether the thermal management will be sufficient to prevent overheating.

This is the motherboard in question:

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Int...55/P8Z68VGEN3/

Oh, please. Not everyone is a snob like you, acting like it’s no big deal to drop $1,600 on a new GPU when they don't even need the upgrade.

Look, it's your money, fine. But if you've got it to burn, stop lecturing people who don't.

That whole "if you really need it, just take out a loan and grab some bottom-tier $500" line is enough to get someone arrested.

What a character 🤣

Timothy Kim60 said:What a character, 🤣

Look at the egos on display in this thread... I will say it once more: there is absolutely no logic in buying junk from $217, especially when you're looking at used hardware. If you don't have $1500 sitting around for a top-tier card, could you not simply stretch your budget by another $100 to secure a GPU that actually provides longevity? Wouldn't that be a more sensible investment?

In this day and age, for $333, there are plenty of cards available that can handle just about anything—be it modern gaming or heavy applications ☕

Right now, I’ve got $1900 sitting right next to me in my room. I could blow this cash on something useless or just put it toward a new GPU if I felt like it. My current rig runs a Radeon HD 4770 with 4GB of RAM and an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450, and Far Cry 3 hits Ultra settings without breaking a sweat.
So why on earth would I need a $400 card, even if it were $1900? Honestly, if I lost that money right now, I wouldn't even care—besides feeling annoyed for maybe two days. This setup handles the exact same game just fine as my Radeon HD 4770. If I actually decide to upgrade, I’m looking at something under a few hundred bucks that’s at least twice as fast as what I have. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Gerald Flores63 said:Right now, I’ve got $1900 sitting right next to me in my room, so I could blow cash on it or just get a new card if I felt like it. My current rig has a Radeon HD 4770 with 4GB of RAM and an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450, and honestly, Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 vs Far Cry 3 runs on Ultra settings without breaking a sweat.
So why would I need a $400 card? Even if it were $1900, losing that much wouldn't hurt my wallet—maybe just a couple days of regret. It plays the exact same game as my Radeon HD 4770. If I'm actually going to buy something, I'll grab a budget card under a hundred bucks that's at least 2X better than what I have. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Smart thinking.
If you're happy with it, why waste money? 🙂

Brian Campbell36 said:What a bunch of clowns on this thread... let me say it one more time: it’s a total waste of money buying junk from $217, especially used. If you don't have $1,500 for a decent card, you could probably toss in another $100 and get something that won't be obsolete by next month...

Nowadays, for $333, there are cards out there that can handle pretty much anything (games and apps alike) ☕

Look, what you're calling "junk" from $217 is actually the exact same stuff sitting on the shelves at Best Buy $333. Do a little research before you start talking trash.
http://www.craigslist.org/for-sale/graphics-cards-listing-6604156
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/products/detail...xedition/46297

Obviously, buying new is better for peace of mind, but just because it's cheaper doesn't mean it's inferior—it seems like that's the only logic you're using here...

And honestly, it runs 99% of games at max settings. It's barely even slower than the 7850 models you see at Walmart $467 ☕

Timothy Kim60 said:Look, what you're calling "junk" from $217 is basically the exact same stuff you'd find at Best Buy $333. I'm pretty sure 99% of games will run just fine on it. It's barely even slower than the 7850s they have sitting on shelves at Walmart $467 or Target ☕.

I think you might be overstating things a bit here 😬
.
The HD 7850 is way more powerful than the GTX 460, and it actually edges out the GTX 560 Ti slightly... 😉

crimsonstag84 said:You might be overestimating things a bit here. 😬

The HD 7850 actually outperforms the GTX 460 by quite a margin, and it even edges out the GTX 560 Ti slightly... 😉

I was specifically referring to the 6850. 🤷

Hey everyone.

I'm looking for a GPU recommendation. It needs to support three monitors running at the same resolution. Is that even possible?

Gerald Flores63 said:Hey everyone!

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a graphics card that can handle three monitors all running at the same resolution. Is that even doable?

First off, what's your full system build look like? And how much cash are you looking to drop on this?

Larry Ortiz5 said:First, list your full specs. Also, what's your budget?

I have 4GB of RAM, a Q9450 processor, and I need a PCI Express 2.0 card. Looking for advice here. Currently running an HD 4770 with dual monitors on Windows 7 64-bit.

edit:
Budget isn't an issue. Just suggest something mid-range.🙂

Gerald Flores63 said:I've got 4GB of RAM and a Q9450 processor—I'm looking for a PCI Express 2.0 graphics card, if anyone can point me in the right direction. Right now, I'm running an HD 4770 with a dual-monitor setup.

edit:
Budget isn't really an issue here. Just suggest something mid-range 🙂

The ATI 7870 actually supports up to six monitors... Honestly, that card is a total best buy for gaming, though it's really optimized for a single-monitor setup.🙂

Larry Ortiz5 said:The ATI 7870 supports up to six monitors. Honestly, that card is a total steal for gaming, provided you’re only running a single monitor. 🙂

Thanks. Are there any games that support playing on two or three monitors at once? I'm talking about something like a split-screen setup where the image is divided up across the screens. 🙂

Should I go with the HD 7870 or the HD 7950 if I want smooth FPS? The HD 7950 has more VRAM, which might be useful, and it's sitting at about $767... since it's roughly five times more powerful than an HD 4770, you tell me 😁

crimsonstag84 said:If you're looking for smooth frame rates, I'd lean toward the HD 7870 or the HD 7950—though honestly, having that extra VRAM on the HD 7950 would definitely be a huge plus. It goes for about $767... plus, since it’s roughly five times more powerful than an old HD 4770, you can really see where the value lies. Just do what feels right for your budget 😁

👍

Looking for some GPU advice... I was running an old ATI Radeon 9550 with 256MB DDR, and playing Call of Duty 4 was basically a slideshow. So, I'm looking to upgrade my card up to a $267 limit. Between the HD 7750 and the 6670, which one should I grab? I know both will absolutely smoke my old setup 😁. I've got a 21" monitor running at 1900x1200, and I’m really hoping to play at that resolution. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Justin Rogers59 said:Looking for some GPU advice... I was running an old ATI Radeon 9550 with 256MB DDR and CoD4 was a stuttering mess, so I wanted to pick your brains. I'm looking to upgrade my card up to $267 so which one should I grab: the HD 7750 or the 6670? I'm assuming both would be massive upgrades over my current 😁.... I've got a 21" monitor running at 1900x1200, so I’m aiming to play at that resolution. Any input helps.

Hold on, is that an AGP card you're talking about? If so, you're better off hunting for something used (the best AGP cards I recall were the 4650) or just upgrading to a modern platform altogether. 🤷
What kind of CPU and motherboard are you currently rocking?

I'm weighing my options between those two cards. My setup is running an Amd athlon ii x4 740 fm2 on an AsRock FM2 motherboard.